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Monday, May 31, 2010

I had such a great response to this post about my past renovation projects that I spent all day yesterday playing in Picasa to put together some before & after shots of past renovation projects. It's always fun to see the fruits of your labor, especially when you start with such challenging spaces. Hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed being part of the transformations!

Kinda hard to tell from the photo, but this is the same space. The photo was taken from a different perspective in the room

Happy first (unofficial) week of summer!

Are you ready to make the most of your home? We can help you create beautiful living spaces to enjoy your life's most beautiful moments! Call Kim at The Green Room Interiors - 423.653-3186 or email at thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Saturday, May 29, 2010

I have posted about the Chattanooga Auction House here before, and I popped in yesterday to see what was coming up on the auction block this weekend. We are lucky to have this great resource in Chattanooga! This is a great place to score some fine antiques and decor items in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. As with any auction purchase, the price you pay depends on how far the interested bidders are willing to take it, but usually the final prices are well under the actual value of the pieces. I also recommend that (with any auction purchase) you take some measurements and check out your potential purchase in advance for anything that may diminish its value. The Chattanooga Auction House will also take your items on consignment for auction. Learn more about The Chattanooga Auction House here.

This child's chair is a real statement piece - lots of beautiful detail!

Isn't there always room for one more chair? (Especially one as lovely as this curvy french number!)

For your pampered pooch?

Love this garden-inspired dining set!

Elevate your next gathering with these mother of pearl and silver serving pieces - gorgeous!

Can't say enough about these porcelain garden stools. And in classic blue&white, its a no-brainer!

There is a pair of these oriental brass lamps. Put them on your dining room buffet - stunning!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Not many words today, just wanted to share this image with you. This little nook is multi-tasking at its best! Books stashed under the library/dining table? - genius! And the chalkboard wall is perfect for jotting down notes, recipes or changeable art!

Hope your week is going well - we have lots of end-of-the-year school stuff this week and many projects wrapping up!

Monday, May 24, 2010

A few weeks ago I wandered into the only Smart Furniture retail outfit in the country, and it is located here in Chattanooga! If you are not familiar with Smart Furniture, allow me to fill you in! Smart Furniture is an on-line furniture retailer that specializes in modern furnishings from the most reputable and recognizable manufacturers such as Knoll, Herman Miller, Blu Dot, and Kartell!

This is the obvious interpretation of modern, and I have to admit it is stylish; however, there is a certain magic that happens when modern furnishings are combined with classic, Asian, and even rustic design elements....

Thursday, May 20, 2010

When I think of rooms designed by New York decorator Alex Papachristidis, the adjectives that come to mind are: Classic, Colorful, Fresh and Fearless! Of these adjectives, I admire (in a borderline stalker kinda way) him most for his use of color! Fresh, happy colors that put you at ease and bring a smile to your face. Sure, I have seen some neutral rooms that are fabulous, but for this gal, color is king!

Alex Papchristidis at his best. Colorful, bold and little edgy!

Classic elements are used in a modern way.

Here the use of color is restrained, but the drama is not!

More vibrant color mixed with classic elements

Those bold lampshades provide an unexpected shot of color

Layer upon layer of fabulousness is also one of Papachristidis' trademarks

This makes me almost not afraid of purple. (The coffee table seals the deal, yes?)

Monday, May 17, 2010

Today's post is a little more personal for me. I want to share how my past has lead me to where I am now.

I have always loved decorating and design. I remember when I was a little girl that some neighborhood kids and I constructed a "fort" out of found materials, (plywood, branches, whatever we could find). I distinctly recall wanting to be sure it had lots of windows and then foraging for whatever materials I could find for my makeshift "curtains" .

When my husband and I got our first apartment (it was a tiny 1-bedroom loft) my passion for creating beautiful interiors really took off. I was always painting something or coming home with another fabric sample or flea market treasure. Luckily, my supercute and sweet husband let me indulge my creative side and put up with whatever "look" was appropriate for decade we were living in.

Then came the point of no return and an added bonus: My above-mentioned supercute and sweet and uber-talented husband started a construction company that specialized in residential construction!!See the beauty/danger here? Yep, he was always re-doing a kitchen, reconfiguring a bathroom, adding some crown molding/picture molding/ judges paneling, wainscoting, or tiling something for me.

Add to this a shared love of architecture and historic homes and next thing you know we started a business of buying run-down historic properties and completely renovating them from foundation to rooftop! I thought I died and went to heaven!!! Can you imagine anything more glorious than being responsible for giving new life to a turn of the century home with all of the architectural details of that era - high ceilings, heart pine floors, built-in china cabinets, foot-high baseboards, transoms and ornate door and window hardware.

The start of every new project rendered my "giddy" The restoration process itself was grueling, frustrating, and seemingly never-ending. But when the final finishes started to go up (paint was always the biggest transformer), the end result was worth all of the frustration ten-fold!

So, I thought I would share some of our projects with you, complete with before and after photos!

First project ever -before/during

After - sorry these photos are so grainy, they are pretty old!

Here is supercute and sweet hubby working on old window restoration.

This is the first restoration we did as our own home - looks kinda Munster-ish, right?

Here it is nearly finished - it is magnificent - my favorite house ever! (and we have lived in a bunch). We lived here a few years and then sold it and moved on to this one -

Not quite sure what's up with that peach and rose color scheme, but another spectacular historic home that needed a little(a lot) of lovin

Here she is about a year later, taken from another angle. Notice they built a new house next door?

During

This is a before. Hard to tell from the photo, but this one had a fire that burned out the second level and all roof rafters.

This photo shows all new rafters and ceiling joists.

Here it is after restoration. New owners already moved in!

during...

Pretty hideous - this is before/during

Truly, this is the same house nearing completion.

Also wanted to share some photos of great details found inside of these houses - in no particular order

Heart pine floors, original mantel with tile, built-in window seats with storage, and how about those windows with original trim? Pretty spectacular, right?

I bought those amazing windows over the original tub to bring more light into the bath. The glass in those windows has a very cool raised pattern - photo does not do it justice!

The original window here was missing. This is a salvaged window that I found. I added the red glass squares and the center beveled medallion. This window was part of a double-hung set but the size was right and all we had to do was turn it on its end and so some extra molding to make it work...

This is the top of a staircase on one of our first projects. That entire curved portion was not in the house when we bought it - we later found that section in the basement (complete) and we re-installed it. This open at the top of the steps was being used as a bathroom for the upstairs apartment.

Another great staircase (my current house)

so fun to find an old clawfoot! Lots of sanding and a visit from "The Bathtub Guy" for reglazing and it looks like a million bucks!

Fresh paint, antique light fixture and sanded floors. Such an exciting time in restoration!

So my past history of historic home restoration is just another layer that makes up my passion for creating beautiful living spaces. For me, all design projects include a piece of the past - whether it comes from an antique lighting fixture, architectural salvage or and old chair updated with a little paint and fabric. The past is a big part of where we are today!